Technical Abstract:
The use of air-assisted boom sprayers and air-blast orchard sprayers is discussed. Air jet characteristics are important in transporting spray droplets into canopies. Travel speed, canopy density, spray droplet size, and other factors affect spray deposition on foliage. Drift from spraying orchards, vineyards, and nurseries is an important problem, and the results of several studies are presented. New sprayer designs, careful sprayer operation, buffer zones, and other methods can be used to reduce exposure of sensitive areas to spray drift.